A moment we waited for 12 long years has finally arrived – Partizan won Maccabi in the quarter-finals and reserved the place at the Final 4 in Paris! With a little luck this team can also achieve something we are waiting for 18 years – to win Euroleague…

Yup, I actually said “with a little luck”, because this team is, despite the youth and low budget (salary of just one Olympiacos’ player is bigger then the complete budget of Partizan), really something special and far from an underdog. It is consisted of a carefully selected group of players which are all talented, but combined with Partizan’s legendary coach, Dule Vujosevic, and the equally legendary Partizan’s fans, Gravediggers, this group becomes a very special team that gives 150% on every match and has become a very tough cookie for all the biggest teams in Europe.

Even Mr. Gershon, Maccabi’s coach, has noticed in one of his interviews that Macabbi has already taken a couple of great players from Partizan, but they never played anywhere as good as in Pionir Arena and under Dule’s guidance.

Below is what I’m talking about, and what Paris can expect from 7th to 9th of May.
I suggest the city of Paris to strengthen the foundations of Bercy Arena, for earthquake called Gravediggers is coming!

Last minute and celebrations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZTjTXNNOb0

Coreography:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRa0AePQS8M

President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, cheering with the fans:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCEMe1QEvI

Celebrations in the Arena and later streets of Belgrade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzQUsQlyo8M

Emotional moments before every match (with subtitles):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4NpPN-NC5U

Great great Partizan tonight!

Photo by http://goserbia.com

7000 fans did the thing again

Since Yugoslavia stopped existing, a lot of things have been changing in Serbia, including the coat of arms, flag and anthem.
Many things changed, but some remained the same – corruption in all spheres of life and levels is one, and the second is success in many many sports.
The corruption is what kills us, makes us feel helpless and quite often deeply depressed and highly apathetic (see some stats at @Dzangrizalo’s blog post – serbian & google translated english), and when any government brings us a new anthem or anything that should gather us all around, we simply cannot accept it so easily… Even if that anthem is a beautiful song from 1872, it is still not easy to relate to it… Not even if they play it every morning and evening on national TV station… (I suppose that is an explanation to the hatery towards celebrations in the same blog post )
Myself included…

However, recent shower of medals on World Swimming Championship, Waterpolo Championship, as well as U18 European Basketball Championship (all in a couple of days) has brought us a lot of happiness, and along we listened the anthem in a whole new light… All of a sudden, I didn’t care about the government, about the corruption, about anything really – just enjoyed the goosebumps I missed so much last couple of years…

It’s stupid, I know, and I feel like a kid when this happens, but these successes give you kind of a boost and motivation to do more… They wake you up from apathy and show you that if you are talented and really want to do something more with your life, there is no system or surrounding that will stop you do more…
So, thank you Serbian swimmers, waterpolo and basketball players – you have been such motivation boosters this week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAgTR4sQDkc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_0fmJoC4bE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikhEmTkJrik

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNWHMu3KU70

What an awesome day!

1. No more visas soon!
Report: EC to propose visa liberalization
14 July 2009 | 20:03 | Source: Tanjug
BRUSSELS — The European Commission (EC) adopted unanimously on Tuesday recommendations for visa liberalization for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.

EU diplomatic sources told Tanjug news agency that the recommendations relate to period starting January 1, 2010.
More at B92.net

2. Champions League: FC Partizan hammered Rhyl in qualifications 4:0…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSSC_YbLUdk

and most importantly:

3. THE LEGEND COMES BACK!
Partizan Belgrade announced Tuesday that former star forward Dejan Milojevic signed with the club for what may be his last season.
More at euroleague.net

The world basketball capital of Belgrade, Serbia became the proud owner on Thursday of the single-game record for attendance at an indoor basketball game in European club history! Officially, 22,567 fans packed Belgrade Arena for the Last 16, Week 5 game between hosts Partizan and Panathinaikos of Greece. 

from euroleague.net

Say no more… Such a spectacle was not enough for hungry Partizan – no, they had to win too!

Budget of CSKA – 30.000.000 EUR
Budget of Panathanaikos – 45.000.000 EUR
Budget of Partizan – 2.000.000 EUR
Lasme & Vesely (both foreigners) singing a fan song dedicated to the love for Partizan (in Serbian!!) – PRICELESS!!!

There are things that money can’t buy…

another great guy from the golden generation of Yugoslav and Serbian basketball (Djordjevic, Paspalj, Bodiroga, Savic… to name a few…) has done his farewell to basketball and moved on…

Some of them become coaches, some managers, some even go to politics, but Vlade decided to simply continue what he was doing already – to help people in need… this time to dedicate all his time to this though…

His friends from all over the world promised to help, and came to Belgrade to prove it… On photos above you can see some of them – Chris Webber (claimed himself to be first Serbian black dude – Kristijan Veberovic ), Glen Rice, Scott Pollard…

Thank you Vlade!

And thank god for modern technologies… How would I explain my kids what a great guy he is, if there was no video?

text below is from B92.net
———————————

Divac celebrates end of professional career

23 September 2007 | 11:47 | Source: Beta

BELGRADE — Vlade Divac has celebrated his official retirement from professional basketball in front of 10,000 fans in Belgrade.

Vlade Divac bids farewell to his fans (Tanjug)

“I wish to thank you for a huge and selfless support you have been giving me throughout my basketball career that began here in Serbia and now ends here as well,” Divac told the crowd yesterday from a concert stage placed outside the National Parliament building.
The former member of Serbia’s national basketball team and sixteen-year NBA veteran has launched the “You Can Too” campaign, set to last four months, aimed at raising funds and providing housing for refugees and displaced persons in Serbia.
“Today , the most important match of my life begins. With your help, the biggest and best team is looking to score a vital victory and help those deprived of their land, home, and friends who are now living in conditions unworthy of human beings,” said Divac.
The farewell ceremony was attended by his former national team fellow players Aleksandar Đorđević, Predrag Danilović, Zoran Savić and Žarko Paspalj.
Divac’s NBA co-players, including Chris Webber, Scott Pollard and Glen Rice came to support their colleague, along with Divac’s former coaches Dušan Ivković, Duško Vujošević and Gregg Popovich.
“Vlade always has friends by his side. I will do my best to help him raise the money for the cause and I hope he will win this game as well,” Aleksandar Đorđević said.
Webber also addressed the crowd, saying “good evening” in Serbian.
“Vlade Divac has a heart of gold apart from being a great player. He is the best man I have ever met,” Webber said.
The concert held in his honor featured performances of numerous bands and artists form Serbia and abroad, including Van Gogh, Aleksandra Kovač, Darko Rundek, Esma Redžepova, Šaban Bajramović, and special guests African artists Mori Cante and Raste.
A short movie was played from a huge screen in which a score of Divac’s friends and colleagues praised his efforts and career, including NBA stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Bobby Jackson, Yao Ming, coach Phil Jackson, rapper Snoop Dogg, Red Hot Chili Peppers, actor Billy Crystal and many others.
On Sunday, Divac travels to his hometown of Prijepolje to officially open the Vlade Divac Museum, an exhibition that chronicles a basketball career that began in the small southern town when he was a tall 12-year-old boy dwarfing his teachers, and eventually ended in the NBA.
The museum will display European jerseys and basketball-related equipment; practice gear and official NBA uniforms from the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings, medals won in international competitions, newspaper and magazine articles from all over the world; game footage, photos, letters from fans and children, and a special section dedicated to his humanitarian efforts.
“My goal for the museum is to show young people today that you don’t have to be born in a big city to become successful,” said Divac.
“Hard work, confidence, and respect are the keys to building a life and thriving professionally. I hope the museum illustrates this message and that the children in Prijepolje learn from it.”

Serbia is in the World Group of Davis Cup after 20 years!!!

What an atmosphere in Belgrade Arena these 3 days! 20.000 people, drummers, constant cheering and shouting… surprisingly, all in good manner (as we are not used to tennis, but rather football and basketball cheering)…

It was so cool to be in the Arena today when Djokovic won the match for 3:1 in wins and got us into the World Group… So cool to feel the eruption of happiness around me… awesome!

Check out some of the moments from the 2nd day… Will link couple more from today, as soon as anyone uploads them to youtube…